The Girl on the Train

I picked up this book because I was in the mood for something creepy, and also because there was so much hype around it. It has been heralded as the next “Gone Girl”, and I would really have to disagree.Yes, the story is a thriller, and yes there is a SURPRISE! twist at the end, but I wouldn’t say it floored me the way Gone Girl did. Actually, I had figured out the ending well before I reached it, while simultaneously hating all the characters as I went. In Gone Girl, I knew that Amy was one fucked up sociopath – but I had to admire her. Also, as an aside, how flawless was Rosamund Pike in the movie??The main character in The Girl on the Train, Rachel, is pathetic. And don’t get me wrong – I don’t need every character to be a hero, or to even be inherently good, but Rachel just had NO redeeming qualities whatsoever. Nor did any of the other characters in the book, which was comprised mainly of women! Every time I’d pick up the book to read it, I would be in a pretty shitty mood afterward. I’m not sure if the author, Paula Hawkins, was trying to portray an honest glimpse of the effects of alcoholism, but it felt contrived.So combine an okayyy storyline with a weak cast of women? Not my kind of story. I’d give it a pass. Or go pick up another Gillian Flynn book instead?